Solving Fluid Transfer Challenges with Custom Quick Disconnects
Engineers across various sectors encounter unique operational challenges that can be properly addressed with the right coupling. These challenges range from ensuring precise material compatibility to prevent corrosion and media contamination to maintaining integrity and seal efficiency under rapid pressure and extreme temperature swings.
SafeWay, a division of The Specialty Mfg. Co., prioritizes custom engineering to deliver couplings that meet exact specifications. As a one-stop shop and trusted vertically integrated partner, Safeway offers both off-the-shelf and custom industrial couplings to meet the demands of the most challenging applications. With a breadth of experience engineering designs and moving them through production, our experienced team can help turn your concept into a reality.
Off-the-Shelf vs. Custom Solutions
While many rely on off-the-shelf industrial couplings for standard designs, unique challenges like high speeds, extreme torque, or compact spaces often demand more. At Safeway, we specialize exclusively in providing the custom solutions required when standard products can’t meet your application’s specific demands.
In high-power motor applications, the heat generated as the motor operates can lead to thermal expansion, requiring a coupling with a specific material and bellows design to maintain accurate power transmission. For heavy equipment operating in dirty, high-vibration environments, using standard hydraulic couplings can come with certain safety hazards, including jamming with debris or loosening over time. A custom quick-disconnect coupling engineered with a robust, vibration-proof locking mechanism and a flat-face design can be used to prevent leaks and block contaminants while maintaining a reliable connection.
Our Design and Manufacturing Process for Custom Couplings
We have the resources and capabilities to provide custom fluid transfer solutions that meet the application’s particular requirements:
DISCOVERY AND CONSULTATION
Our sales team meets with customers to share ideas and discuss the exact specifications of the desired custom industrial coupling.
TECHNICAL MEETING
Our experienced engineering team works to gain a better understanding of any unique challenges and brainstorm possible solutions.
Initial design
After speaking with our sales and technical teams, customers receive a preliminary design and initial quote.
Prototype and testing
We create prototypes for field trial purchasing and internal testing to discover how the coupling will work in the intended application.
Production
From our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, we can then manufacture custom couplings, providing ongoing support after delivery of the finished product.
Value-Added Engineering
- Better performance capabilities
- Cost-saving benefits
- Improved product quality
- Increased product reliability
Our skilled and knowledgeable team can take a standard off-the-shelf coupling or valve and add application-specific value to the original design. This can effectively transform a product design to enable it to perform more effectively and efficiently. It can also change the product functionality to ensure compatibility with a new set of variables.
Applications of Custom Couplings
From motor applications to rugged industrial equipment, SafeWay provides custom-engineered and ISO-compliant couplings to solve critical fluid transfer challenges. Our expertise helps diverse sectors overcome unique pressure, temperature, and media compatibility demands. This ensures operational integrity and performance across a wide range of demanding sectors, such as:
- Agriculture
- Marine
- Industrial
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Power Generation
- Telecommunications
- Food and Beverage
- Utilities
- Construction
- Defense
The team has the expertise to optimize the manufacturability and function of a design based on the application and enhance its performance in the specific operating conditions, providing customers with the confidence of knowing they are receiving the best possible component at the most competitive price.
Partnering With SafeWay
With a long history of engineering expertise, SafeWay has a proven reputation as a trusted custom coupling manufacturer. Taking a customer-centric approach, we have the capabilities to design custom couplings according to exact specifications to meet or exceed our customers’ expectations while providing the following benefits:
- American-made. Our entire product line is engineered and manufactured at our facilities in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Unsurpassed quality. From our ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities, we evaluate our production processes at multiple points to ensure the highest level of consistency and quality while meeting critical production deadlines.
- Diverse capabilities. Through our vertically integrated processes, our value-added services ensure the successful completion of the project.
SafeWay is committed to putting customers first. From the initial consultation to delivery of the finished product, our team is ready to handle your concerns and provide innovative solutions every step of the way.
Our prototypes are manufactured on cutting-edge machinery and rigorously tested according to our customers’ exact specifications to validate the custom coupling in both the application and the environment. Analyzing data from these tests ensures every design element meets or exceeds our customers’ expectations. At our ISO 9001:2015 certified facility, our knowledgeable team ensures products meet the highest level of quality before production begins.
Contact us today to learn how SafeWay can meet your application needs, providing custom fluid transfer solutions that feature unsurpassed quality, performance, and reliability.
